Improvement in rudders for steering vessels



- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. MILLAR, OF MCKEESPOR'I BOROUGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT I\N RUDDERS FOR STEERING VESSELS.

Speeilcation forming part of Letters Patent No. 54,002, dated April 17, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. MILLER, of the borough of MoKeesport, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rudders for Steering Vessels, and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part oI this specification, which represents the framework and hull of a steamboat such as is used on the Western rivers of the United States, showing the rudder constructed inthe manner hereinafter described, as invented by me.

The steamboats which ply on the Western rivers are usually ot' very light draft, owing to the frequent extreme shallowness of the water in the channel at the shoal places during the dry season, and for this reason it is difficult to get a suflicient surface of rudder submerged to control the vessel and steer it to advantage. The rudder cannot be made permanently deeper than the keel of the vessel, because then it would touch the bottom of the river when the water is low and would be liable to be broken in passing over shoals or obstructions in the river, and even in high stages of water a rudder which projected downward below the keel of the vessel would be apt to be unshipped or injured by floating trees or snags, over which the boat might pass.

My improvement consists in making the rudder with a movable slide or Ilap pivoted to the toe of the rudder so as to be lowered when the water is deep enough to admit of it, or raised when rendered necessary by the shallowness of the channel, and which will yield to any log or other obstruction situate in the path of the vessel.

In the drawing, a is the heel-post of the rudder. b is the rudder, which is made double or of two courses of plank extending from the heel-post c to the toe, parallel to each other, so as to leave a space of sufficient width between them for the insertion of thetlap c,

which may be made of wood or of a metallic plate. This iiap c is pivoted to the toe of the rudder, near the lower edge at 1,bya bolt passing through the rudder. The lower edge of the flap c is curved as shown in the drawing', so that in passing over or touching a log or other submerged obstruction, the Hap will rise and recede with the rudder and thus escape injury. A perpendicular rod, e, is attached to the heel end of the lap c, and passes up between the two boards forming the rudder.V

It is attached to a rope or chain, f, which extends over rollers g and pulleys l1l to the pilot-house le, where a weight, w, is attached to it sufficient to counterbalance the flap c and allow it to remain in any position in which it maybe set in or out of the recess in the rudder by simply raising or lowering the weight fw. WVhen the pilot raises the weight the Iiap descends byits own weight, and when 11e pulls the weight down the flap rises and rccedes into the rudder, as shown by dotted lines in the drawing.

It is manifest that when the flap o is lowered the area of submersion of the rudder is correspondingly enlarged, and consequently its el'ective power to guide aud control the vessel is increased.

Having thus described my improvement, what I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The improvement in rudders for vessels hereinbefore described, consisting of the adjustable ap, c, interposed between the side pieces, b, of the rudder, and pivoted to its toe at d so as to be raised or lowered to diminish or increase the submerged area of the rudder, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I, the said WILLIAM J. MILLAR, have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM J. MILLAR. 

